Reviews for Concurrent Systems: Operating Systems, Database and Distributed Systems - An Integrated Approach (International Computer Science Series)

1. Advanced stuff

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, February 12st, 2010

   I studied this book as part of course M301 with the Open University. Unlike perhaps many of the other reviewers, I read the whole book, not just the sections I had to for the course. This is a serious book about a complex subject. It is not a book you can skim through without concentrating and really isn't aimed at the casual reader (or the reader who just wants to get through it quickly without having to think too much.) It is aimed at people who already have a reasonable knowledge of computer science that they wish to extend. This book definitely isn't 'Concurrency for Dummies', so maybe someone should write one to provide a more accessible text?
   
   I haven't been able to find a more comprehensive book on the subject and as I quite enjoyed the book I give it 4 stars here.

2. A Real Headache

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2008

   Like many of the other reviewers, I read this book back in 2003 as part of the Open University M301 course.
   While I was assured that it was the only available text on the subject, it was a real nightmare to get to grips with. It takes a fairly straightforward subject and obfuscates it to such an extent to be virtually unintelligible. Only through the OU conferences, other course material and articles I found on the Web was I able to get a grasp on the subject.
   By now there must be a better text than this. With apologies to Ms Bacon, I'm afraid I cannot recommend it at all. I've only given it one star because I can't give less.
   I'm getting a headache now just thinking about it (and I never get headaches).

3. A detailed and thorough examination of the subject at hand.

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2008

   Most people who are writing reviews for this book will have studied the Open University's benchmark Computer Science course M301 Software Systems and their development. This was a course that other universities in the UK and beyond measured themselves against and one that was widely respected in industry. Other than that, it is worth mentioning, that the Open University has high standards, and M301 was notoriously difficult taking into account the OU's intake. More than a few of the reviews here are really "sour grapes"; rather than a dispassionate review of the subject material presented in the book.
   
   I studied M301 and received a 1st/distinction, so I'll declare my interest right now. I'm sure that had I received a 3rd maybe I would have been unhappy with the book and the course. I also had the pleasure of owning both the 2nd and 3rd editions of the book, as I studied the course twice, having dropped out of the course on first attempt (2001) when the 2nd edition was in use. Then when retaking the course many years later (2006) I studied the 3rd edition.
   
   M301 was a compulsory course, and had its last presentation in 2007, it then evolved into two interrelated compulsory courses. The reason for M301 evolving into two courses rather than one was primarily due to the difficult nature of the material presented in M301 and the low pass rates at 1st and 2:1 level. The idea behind two 30 point ( Developing concurrent distributed systems (M362) and Software engineering with objects (M363) )courses rather than one 60 point courses was to reduce the workload on less able students, and so get more through at higher grades, and allow more able students to study the two courses "concurrently" (pun intended).
   
   M301 was a level 3 Computing course & so equivalent to half of the entire 3rd year undergraduate computing course in a traditional university. The main themes of the M301, and the book, are concurrent systems, large system development, transactions, atomicity, consistency etc. These topics are covered well in the book & the reading can be a little dry and factual at times, but then again, the book isn't meant to be a comic. There are exercises and summaries at the ends of chapters throughout the book, as well as diagrams highlighting important concepts. There is no doubt the book could have been improved with better graphics and a splash of colour. The diagrams depicting interleaved transactions/operations and the accompanying texts concerning serialization and concurrent control aren't brilliant and might be a little cluttered, in both the 2nd or 3rd editions, nothing that reading over a couple of times to be sure will not solve as well as running issues by your tutor.
   
   The 2nd edition (here) presented case studies as reviews of large concurrent software systems in particular Windows and Unix. The 3rd edition presented Java RMI and .NET as examples of developing large concurrent systems. Both the 2nd and 3rd editions do "exactly what they say on the tin" they describe and educate on the subject of large concurrent software systems and the issues therein.
   
   

4. A real chore

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2007

   Without a doubt, the WORST textbook I have had the misfortune to read.
   
   Bacon completely lacks any ability to order her thinking or the content of the book. She flits between concepts and historical anecdotes as if attempting a stream of consciousness performance.
   
   The diagrams occurring often throughout the book are a lost opportunity to bolster Bacon's woolly style. They are of stone-age construction, almost everything being represented by a box, with no clear differentiation of components or motivation.
   
   Admittedly the concepts of the book can be challenging, although not the most demanding that I have studied. Bacon manages to make the whole thing a hundred times more difficult than it should be. It is something of a shame as it's a comprehensive work. It would appear that Bacon is great researcher who sadly lacks any ability to communicate her knowledge and discoveries.

5. Very Good Book

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 2006

   After reading some of the previous notes relating to this book I thought it would be a good idea to write my own.
   
   Jean Bacon's book about Concurrent Systems is an awesome book; it has so much information from simple background and fundamentals to the intricacies of a concurrent system. The book covers practically everything from how the hardware deals with distributed processes, the security mechanisms involved and even how the operating systems deal with processes. (This is to name but a handful of topics)
   
   The book has been written well and I personally found it easy to read and understand and I would recommend this book to any user who is interested in concurrent systems.